

Today, Firefox will be rolling out this feature, Enhanced Tracking Protection, to all new users on by default, to make it harder for over a thousand companies to track their every move. One of those initiatives outlined was to block cookies from known third party trackers in Firefox. Last year, we announced our new approach to anti-tracking, and our commitment to help people stay safe whenever they used Firefox. With this new, increased awareness for privacy, we feel that the time is right for the next step in stronger online protections for everyone. At Firefox, we have been working on setting this standard by offering privacy-related features, like Tracking Protection in Private Browsing, long before these issues were brought to light. We believe that in order to truly protect people, we need to establish a new standard that puts people’s privacy first. It’s unfortunate that this shift had to happen in order for tech companies to take notice.

This past year, we’ve seen tech companies talk a big game about privacy as they’re realizing that, after several global scandals, people feel increasingly vulnerable. I believe that Firefox has and will continue to make a big impact in building the necessary protections to keep people safe online. As a long-time employee with 10+ years, I’ve seen a lot of things within the tech industry from data breaches, net neutrality and the rise and fall of tech companies. It’s been several weeks since I was promoted to Senior Vice President of Firefox, responsible for overall Firefox product and web platform development.
